Passus primus de visione de dowel
Thenne hadde wit a wyf / was hote dame studie
That ful lene lokede / and lyf-holy semede
She was wonderly wroth / þat wit me so tauhte
Al staryng dame studie sterneliche sayde
Wel artow wyse quod she to wyt / suche wysdomes to shewe
To eny foel or to flaterere / or to frentike peple
They do bote dreuele þer-on / draf were hem leuere
Then al þe preciouse perye / þat eny prince weldeth
Y syg hit by suche quod wit / þat sheweth by here werkes
Þat louyen lond and lordschipe / and lykynge of body
More then holynesse / or hendenesse or al þat seyntes techeth
Wysdom and wit now / is nat worth a carse
Bote hit be cardet with coueytise / as clotheres kemben here wolle
Ho can caste and contreue / to disseyue þe rihgtfole / ri[gh]tfole
And lette with a loueday treuthe and bigile
That coueite can and caste thus / Ar cleped in-to þe consayle
¶ Qui sapiunt nugas & crimnam / crim[ina] lege vocantur
Qui recte sapiunt / lex iubet ire foras
He is reuerensed and y-robed / þat can robbe þe peple
Thorw fallas and fals questes / and thorw fikel speche
Iob þe gentele in his gistes witnesseth T
What shal worthen of suche when þei lyf leten
ducunt in bonis dies suos / & in find / fin[e] descendunt ad infernum
The sauter saith þe same / of alle suche ryche
¶ Ibunt in progenie patrum suorum / & vsque in eternum non videbunt lumen
Et alibi {...?...}ecce ipi / ip[s]i peccatores habundantes C & cetera
Lo saith holy letrure / whiche lordes beth this schrewes
Tho þat god most goed ȝeueth / greueth most riht and treuthe
¶ Que perfecisti destruxerunt & cetera
Harlotes for here harlotrye aren holpe ar nedy pore
And þat is no riht ne resoun / for rather me sholde
Helpe hym þat hath nauhte / then tho that haen no nede
Ac he þat hath holy writ / ay / in his mouth
And can telle of treuthe / and of þe twelue aposteles
Or of þe passioun of Crist / or of purgatorie þe peynes
Litel is he loued or leet herfore / among lordes at festes
Nowe is þe manere at þe mete / when munstrals ben stille
The lewed aȝen þe lered / þe holy lore to dispite
And tellen of þe trinite / how tho slowe þe thridde
And brynge forth ballede resones / taken bernard to witnesse
And putten forth presumpcioun / to preue þe sothe
Thus they dreuele as the deyes / the deite to knowe
Ac þe carfole may crye / and quake at þe ȝate
Bothe afyngred and a-furst / and for defaute spille
Is non so hende to haue hym / but hote hym go þer god is
Thenne semeth hit to my sihte / to suche þat so biddeth
God is nat in þat hoem / ne his helpe nother
Lytel loueth he þat lord / þat lente hym al þat blisse
That so parteth with þe pore / aparsel / a parsel when hym nedeth
Ne were mercy in m{.}ene men / more then in riht riche
Mony tymes mendenauntes / myhte goen a-fyngred
¶ Ecce audiuimus eam id est caritatem T in Effrata & cetera
Clerkes and knyhtes carpen of god ofte
And haen muche in here mouth / Ac mene in herte
Freres and and / [and] faytours / haen founde vp suche questions
To plese with proude men / senes this pestelences
And prechyng at seynt poules / and puyr enuye of clerkes
That folk is nat ferme in þe faith / ne fre of here godes
Ne sory for here synnes / so pruyde enhanced
In religion and in al þe reume / amonges riche and pore
That preyeres haen no power / this pestilences to lette
And gode men for oure gultes / he al to-grynt to deth
And ȝut this wreches of this world / is noen y-war by oþer
Ne for drede of eny deth / with-draweth hym fro pruyde
Ne parteth with þe pore / as puyr charite wolde
Bote in gaynesse and in glotonye / for-glotten here godes
And breketh nat here bred to þe pore as þe boke hoteth
¶ Frange esurienti panem tuum
Ac þe more a LX wynneth and hath / þe world at his wille
And lordeth in ledes / the lasse goed he deleth
Tobie C techeth nat so / taketh hede ȝe ryche
How he tolde in atyme / a tyme / and tauhte his sone dele
Si Autem exiguum illud impertire libenter stude
And is to mene no more / bote who muche goed weldeth
be large þer-of whil hit lasteth / to ledes þat ben nedy
And yf thow haue litel leue sone / loke by þy lyue
Get þe loue þer-with thogh thow worse fare
Ac lust no lord now ne lettred man / of suche lore to here
Bote lythen how þey myhte lerne / leest god spene
And þat loueth lordes now / and leten hit a dowel
For is no wit worth now / but if hit of wynnynge soune
For-thy wit quod she be waer / holy write to shewe
Amonges hem þat haen hawes at wille
The which is a lykyng and a luste / þe loue of þe world
And when wit was y-war / what studie menede
I myhte gete no grayn of wittes grete wittes
Semyng þat y sholde / bysechen here of grace
And when y was war of his wille to þat womman gan y louten
And saide mercy ma-dame / ȝoure man shal y worthen
As longe as y lyue / bothe late and rathe
And for to worche ȝoure wille / þe while my lyf duyreth
With þat ȝe kenne me kyndeliche / to knowe what is dowel
For thy mekenesse quod she / and for thy mylde speche
Y shal kenne þe to clergie / my cosyn þat knoweth
Alle kynne kunnynges and comsynges of dowel
Of dobet of dobest for doctour he is knowe
And ouer skripture þe skilfole / and screueynes were trewe
For he LX is sib to þe seuene ars / and also my suster
Of lore and of lettrure / of lawe and of resoun
So with þat clergie can / and consail of scripture
Thow shalt kunne and knowe / kyndeliche dowel
Thenne was y as fayn / as foul of faire morwen
Gladdere then gleman / þat gold hath to ȝefte
And askede of here þe hey way whare þat clergie dwelte
And telle me som tokene quod y / for tyme is þat y wende
Aske þe hey wey hennes to soffre bothe wele and wo T
Yf þou wilt lerne and ryde forth / by rychesse reste nat þerynne
For yf thow coueytest to be ryche / to clergie comest thow neuere
Bothe wymmen and wyn / wrothe T ire and slewthe
Yf thow hit vse oþer haunte / haue god my treuthe
To clergie shaltow neuere come / ne knowe what is dowel
As if þow happe quod he / þat þou hitte on clergie
And hast vnderstandyng / what a LX wolde mene
Sey hym thy-sulue / ouer-se many bokes
And sey y grette wel his wyf / for y wrot here abible / a bible
And sette here to sapience / and to þe sauter y-glosed
Logyk y lerned here / and al þe lawe aftur
And alle þe musons in musyk / y made here for to knowe
Plato þe poete / y putte hym furste to boke
Aristotel and oþere / to Arguen P y tauhte
Gramer for gurles / y gart furste write
Of alle kyne craftes · y contreuede here toles
Of carpentrie of keruers / and contreuede þe compas
And caste ouet T by squire / bothe lyne and leuele
Thus thorw my lore ben men y-lered / thogh y loke demme
Ac teologie hath tened me / ten score tymes
Þe more y muse þer-on / the mystiloker hit semeth
And þe deppore y deuine / the derkore me thynketh hit
Hit is no science sothly / bote a sothfaste bileue
Ac for hit lereth men to louie / y beleue þeron þ{er}e bettere
For loue is alykyng / a lykyng thyng / and loth for to greue
Lerne for to louie / yf þe lik dowel
For of dobet and dobest / here doctour is dere loue
¶ Tho wente y my way with-outen more lettynge
And to clergie y cam / as clerkes me saide
Y grette hym goodly and graythly y hym tolde
How þat wit and his wyf / wissede me to hym
To kenne and to knowe kyndeliche dowel
By Crist quod Clergie yf thow coueyte dowel
Kepe þe ten comaundementis / and kepe þe fro synne
And byleef lely / how goddes sone alyhte
On þe maide Marie / for mankynde sake
And bycam aman / a man of þat maide / with-oute mankynde
And al þat holichurche / holi churche / herof can þe lere
Leue hit lelly / and loke / þou do þeraftur
Austyn þe {þ}olde / her-of made bokes
Ho was his Autor / And hym of god tauhte
Patriarkes and prophetes / apostles and angelis
And þe trewe trinite / to Austyn apperede
And he vs saide as he sey / and so y bileue
That he seyh þe fader / and þe sone / and þe seynt spirit to-gederes
And alle thre bote o god / and her-of he made bokes T
Ho beth his witnesses / Ego in patre & pater in me est
¶ Et qui me vidit patrem meum vidit qui in celis est & cetera
Alle þe Clerkes vnder Crist / ne couthe this assoile
Bote thus hit bilongeth to bileue / alle þat liketh to dowel
For hadde neuere frek fyn with LX / the faith to dispute
¶ Fides non habet meritum vbi · humana racio & cetera
Thus in bileue and lel · / and loue is the thridde
That maketh men to dowel / and dobet and dobest
Thenne scripture scorned me / and mony skiles shewed
And continaunce made on clergie / to congeie me hit semede
And saide multi multa sciunt / & seipsos nessiunt
Tho wepte y for wo / and wrathe of here wordes
And in a wynkynge y warth / and wonderliche me mette
For y was rauysched rihte there for fortune me fette
And in a myrrour þat hihte myddel-erd / she made me to loke
And senes he saide to me / here myhte thow se wondres
And knowe þat þou coueytest / and come þer-to parauntur
Thenne hadde fortune folwyng here two fayre maydenes
¶ Concupiscencia carnis / men calde þe eldre maide
And coueytise of yes / y-calde was þat oþer
And pruyde of parfit lyuynge / pursuede me faste
And bade me for my continence / counte clerkes techyng lihte
¶ Concupiscencia Carnis / confortede me of this manere
And saide þou art ȝong and ȝep / and hast ȝeres y-nowe
For to lyue longe / and ladyes to louye
And in þis myrrour / thow myhte se murthes fol monye
That lede þe wol to lykynge / Al thy lyf-tyme
The seconde saide þe same / y sewe thy wille
That y ne shal folowe thy felowschipe / yf fortune lyke
The man þat me liketh to helpe / myhte nat myshappe
Thenne was oen þat hihte Elde / þat heuy was of chere
Man quod Elde yf y mette with the / by marie of heuene
Thow shalt fynde fortune þe fayle / At thy moste nede
And Concupiscencia Carnis / clene the forsake
Bitterliche shaltow banne thenne / bothe dayes and nyhtes
Couetyse of yes / þat euere thow here knewe
And pruyde of parfit lyuynge / to moche perel the brynge
Folowe forth þat fortune wole / þou hast ful fer to elde
Aman / A man may stoupe tyme ynowe / when he shal tyne þe croune
Sir wanhope was sib to hym / as som men me tolde
For rechelesnesse in his rybaude / riht thus he saide
Go y to helle or to heuene / y shal nat go myn one
Were hit al soth þat ȝe seyn / thow scripture and thow clergie
Y leue neuere þat lord ne lady / þat lyueth her in erthe
Sholde sitte in goddis sihte / ne se god in his blisse
¶ Ita possibile est diuiti intrare / in regno / regn[um] celorum sicut camelus & cetera
For clergie saith þat he seyh / in þe seynt euaungelie
That y man y-maed was / and my name y-entred
In þe legende of lyf longe / ar y were
predestinaet thei prechen / prechours þat this sheweth
Vn-writen for som wikkednesse / as holy writ sheweth
¶ Nemo ascendit ad celum / nisi qui de celo descendit
And y leue hit wel by oure lord / and on no lettrure bettere
For salomon þe sage / þat sapience made
God gaf hym grace of wit / and of goed aftur
Neuere to man so moche / þat man can of telle
To reule alle reumes / and ryche to make
And demede wel and wysly / wymmen bereth wittenesse
¶ Nec michi nec tibi / set diuidatur
Aristotel and he / ho tauhte men bettere
Wittenesseth þat here wordes / and here werkes bothe
Were wonder goed and wisest in here tyme
And holichurche / holi churche as y here / haldeth bothe in helle
And yf we sholde wurche aftur here werkes / to wynnien / wyn[n]en vs heuene
That for here werkes and wyt / wonyeth now in payne
Thenne wrouhte y vnwysly / for alle ȝoure wyse techynge
Ac y countre-segge the nat clergie / ne thy connyng scripture
That ho-so doth by ȝoure doctrine / doth wel y leue
As me were leuere by oure lord / a lyppe of goddes grace
Thenne al þe kynde wyt / þat ȝe can bothe and kunnyng of ȝoure bokes C
For of fele witty in faith / litel ferly y haue
Thogh here gost be vngracious / god for to plese
For mony men in this molde / more sette here herte
In goed then in god / for-thy hem grace faileth
At he / he[re] moste meschef / mercy were þe beste
And mercy of mercy · nedes moet aryse
As holy writ witnesseth / goddes word in þe gospel
¶ E{d}Adem mensura & cetera
Wel y-witted men and wel y-lettred clerkes
Seldom ar they seyen / so lyue as they lere
Wittnesseth godes word / þat was neuere vntrewe
¶ Super cathedra Moysi & cetera
Ac y wene hit worth of monye / as was in noes tyme
Tho he shoop þe ship / of shides and bordes
Was neuere wrihte þat þer-on wrouhte / ne werkman ysaued
Bote briddes and bestis / and þe blessed Noe
And his wyf with his sones / and his sones wyues
Of wryhtes þat hit wrouhte / was noen of hem y-saued
God lene hit fare nat so / by folk þat þe faith techen
Of holy kirke þat sholde kepe / alle cristene soules
For Archa Noe nymeth hede / ys no more to mene
Bote holychurche / holy churche herborw / to alle þat ben yblessed
The culorum of this clause / curatores is to mene
That carpentares vnder Crist / holy kirke to make
For lewed folk goddes foles / and his fre bestes
¶ Homines & iumenta saluabis & cetera
At domes-day adeluuye / a deluuye worth / of deth and fuyr at ones
Worcheth ȝe wrihtes of holy churche as holy writ techeth
Laste ȝe be loste as þe laboreres were / þat labered / lab[o]red vnder Noe
A gode friday y fynde afeloun / a feloun was y-saued
That vnlawefulliche hadde y-lyued / al his lyf-tyme
And for he biknewe on þe croes / and to crist shrof hym
He was sunnere y-saued then seynt Iohn þe baptiste
And ar Adam oþer ysaye / oþer eny of the profetes
That hadde y-ley with lucifer / mony longe ȝeres
A robbare was y-raunsomed rather then thei alle
With-oute penaunce oþer passioun / oþer eny other peyne
passet forth paciently / to perpetuel blisse
Then marie maudelene / who myhte do worse
As in lykyng of lecherye / no lyf denyede
Or dauid þe douhty / þat denyed how vrye
Mouhte sleylokeste be slawe / and sente hym to worre
Lelly as by his lokes / with aleare / a leare of gyle
And now beth this seyntes · by that men saith and souereynes T
In heuene tho that worste wrouhten / þe while þat thei here were
By that þat salamon saith / hit semeth þat no wyht woet
Ho is worthy for wele or for wykkede
Wheþer he is worthy to wele or to wykkede pyne
¶ Sunt iusti atque sapientes / & opera eorum in manu dei sunt & cetera
Thus y rechelesnesse haue y-rad registres and bokes
And fonde y neuere in faith / for to telle treuthe
That clergie of cristes mouthe comaunded was euere
For Crist saide to sayntes / and to suche as he louede
¶ Dum steteritis ante Reges vel presides & cetera
Thogh ȝe come bifore kynges / and clerkes of þe lawes
Beth nat aferd of þat folk / for y shal ȝeue ȝow tonge
And connyng and clergie / to conclude suche alle
dauid maketh mensioun / he spake among kynges
And myhte no kyng ouercome hym / as in connynge of speche
Sothly saide rechelesnesse / ȝe se by many euydences
That wit ne witnesse wan neuere þe maistre
With-oute þe gifte of god · which grace of fortune
For he þat most seith and saide / of the sothfaste trinite
Was Austyn þe oelde / þat euere man wiste
Saide thus in his sarmon / for ensaunple of grete clerkes
¶ Ecce ipse / ips[i] idiote rapiunt celum vbi nos sapientes in inferno mergimur
And is to mene no more to men þat beth lewed
Aren noen rather y-raueschid / fro þe rihte bileue
Comuneliche then clerkes / most knowyng in konnyng
Ne none sanere y-sauued / ne none saddere in bileue
Then ploughmen an LX pastours / and pore comune peple
Lewed lele laboreres / and land tulyng peple
Persen with a pater noster / paradys oþer heuene
And passen thorgh purgatorie / penaunceles T
For here parfit bileue / breuis oratio penetrat celum
Selde falleth þe seruant / so depe in arrerage
As doth the reue or Conturrollor / þat rykene moet and acounten
Of al þat they haen had / of hym þat is here maister
Ac lewede laborers / of litel vnderstondyng
Selde falleth so foule / and so depe in synne
Lewede men in good bileue / and lene hem at here nede
Homo preponit / p[ro]ponit quod apoete / a poete tho / and plato he hihte
¶ Et deus disponit quod he / lad / la[t] god do his wille
All · þat treuth atta cheth / attacheth / and testifieth for gode
Thow thei folwe þat fortune wole / in T folye ich it holde
Ne Concupiscencia carnis / ne shal nat greue the grettly
Ne bigyle the / but yf thow wolle
Ȝe fare wel fyppe quod fauntelete / and forth gan me drawe
Til Concupiscencia Carnis / a-corded til al my werkes
Of dowel ne of dobet / no deynte me ne thouhte
Ne clergie ne his conseile / y counted hit ful litel
// wittes wyf chidde
wit for he sche-
wed so muche
vn-stodied
wit for he sche-
wed so muche
vn-stodied
de
passus
// hyer he tellith
of prechinge at
// paulis
of prechinge at
// paulis
// tobi toȝte
his sone
dele
his sone
dele
de
passus
sapience
austyn
corrigitur
de
passus
de
passus
de
Qui sapiunt nugas
do-wel
// harlottes are sonnest
holpe
holpe
corrigitur
· 1us ·
do-wel
studie
scrypture
// where clergie
dwellith
dwellith
// lettygge / letty[n]gge to come
to clergie
to clergie
· 1us ·
dowel
// Hyere fortune raueschid
will & schewed hym a myr-
our þat hyȝte myddylȝerd
will & schewed hym a myr-
our þat hyȝte myddylȝerd
1us
dowel
// Hyer hard sentence
for techeres ȝif þay leue
noȝt wel
for techeres ȝif þay leue
noȝt wel
Culorum
· 1us ·
do-wel
// hyer ȝougthe sette
at naȝt al þis
at naȝt al þis